Machine for sealing containers



Aug. 4, 1931. 1,817,831

W. E. MOLINS ET AL MACHINE FOR SEALING CONTAINERS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledJuly 25, 1928 Aug. 4, 1931. w. E. MOLINS ET AL MACHINE FOR SEALINGCONTAINERS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 23, 1928 J 1931. w. E. MOLINS ETAL 1,317,331

MACHINE FOR SEALING CONTAINERS Filed July 23. 1928 4 Sheets-Shet 5 n-wfats Mam Aug. 4, 1931. w. E. MOLINS ET AL ,8

MACHINE FOR SEALING CONTAINERS Filed July 23. 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 4Patented Aug. 4, 1931 uNiTE-D STATES -Pe m;-i' m- WALTER EVERETT MOLINSAND JOHN WALKER, CHALMERS,' F DEPTFORD, LOHDON,

. a ENGLAND MACHINE FOR SEALING CONTAINERS Application filed July 23,1928, Serial No. 294,845fa1it1 in Great Britain August 10, 1927.

This invention is for improvements in or relating to machlnes whereinbands, stamps or the like are automatically wrapped around orpartly'around packets, for exam- ;ple packets of cigarettes, and has forits 0 object the provision of a machine wherein bands or stamps may beapplied to the packets at a greater speed and more efficiently than hasbeen the practice hitherto.

The present invention consists of a machine for applying bands, stampsor the like which comprises 'means (for example, an oscillating sucker)for removing a band or the like from a pile; a gum roller for receivingsaid band or the like fromthe suckers and, applying adhesive to one sidethereof, means (for example a suction roller) arranged to receive theband or the like from the said gumming roller and present the gummedsurface thereof to the surface of a packet movable beneath the saidsuction roller, and means arranged to fold the said band around orpartly around the said packet. V

.The invention ismore particularly de scribed in the accompanying.drawings,'in which V p Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly in section ofa machine adapted to apply labels to the broad side of a packet. p Y

Fig. 2 is a plan of Fig. 1 with the upper portions of the stamp feedingapparatus removed. I it V Fig. 3 is a perspective view of apacket with astamp applied to the broad face and ends thereof.

Fig. 4 is a perspectiveview bf a packet,

with a stamp applied to the narrow face and ends.

Fig. 5 is a sectional side elevation of {an apparatus for feedingpackets to the machine so that they stand on one narrow side. 1

Fig. 6 is a section of Fig.5 online A.B.

Fig. 7 is a similar view to Fig. 2showing the machine adjustedforapplying stamps to the-narrow face of the packet;

. Fig. '8 is a front elevation to a larger scale of the suctionapparatus shown in Fig. 1 and the associated parts; In this Fig. 9 is adetail of Fig. 8, and

view the. frame of the machine has been Figs. 10 and 11 show a devicefor folding the ends of the stamp around the bottom side of the packet.

I Referring to Figsfl, 2 and 3, the packets 1 are stacked in a verticalmagazine 2 mounted on the bed 3. A continuous conveyor is arranged tocarry a plurality of pusher pieces 5 and convey the same 1n thedirection, f

of the arrow A beneath ,the magazine 2.

apply a band to one broad side of the packet.

when the said arm is'not raised by a packet the oscillating suckerhereinafter described is rendered inoperative. .The operation of the arm2 will be described later withrefer- 1 ence to Fig. 8 of the drawings.The device for applying the band com- I prises a-stacker 6 in whicha'pile of bands,

for example revenue stamps 7 are located as shown in Figs. 1 and 8, ofthe drawings. Mounted atthe lower end'of the'said stacker is anoscillating sucker 8 which is adapted to .move periodicallyintoengagement with the lowermost band 'of the pile. The sucker 8 isconnected to a rotary pump 34cv of ordinary construction. The pump isdriven by .a chain 35 from the main shaft 36 of the mac hine, andthersuction pipe 37 is connected to the sucker 8 as shown, and to thesuct-ionwheel 19hereinafter described. The

-Each pusher piece 5 is arranged to remove a .packet' from the magazineand'carry the same beneath a ClGV1C6 whlch is adapted to suction tube 37is connected to the sucker 8 r structed and operated in the followingmanner: V The valve-comprises a body 40 provided with vents 40a andhaving a sliding piston 41 mounted therein and connected by a rod 12 toa lever 48 which carries the detector arm 2 at the front of the machine.The valve is placed in the suction tube as shown and has an orifice 44through which air can pass into the pump when the piston 41 is lowered.The lever 43 is pivoted to the frame at 45 and has a cam roller 16 whichengages with a cam 47 which is driven by the main drive of the machineand timed to synchronize with the movement of the conveyor. When apacket reaches the position immediately beneath the detector 2, theroller i6 is about to drop down the depress'ion in the cam 47. If apacket is in positionbeneath the detector the lever 43 cannot drop andthe suction in the pipe 37 causes a stamp to be fed, which stamp willeventually be applied to the packet at present beneath the detector. If,however, there is no packet beneath the detector the lever 43 will turnon thepivot 4-5 and pull down the piston 41, thus breaking the vacuumand preventing thGzfGQCl of the stamp. Due

to the fact thatthe bands are supported at their leading corners uponaledge 9, the initial movement of the sucker is to bow the leading edgeof the first band downwardly whereupon a support 10 is automaticallymoved between the bowed edge of the band and the remaining bands in thepile as shown in Fig. 18, so as to support thesame against any furthermovement of the displaced band. The support '10 is wedge shaped and isprovided at the thickest portion of the wedge with a roller ,11 as shownin Figs. 8 and 9 which, as the support passes between the separated'bandand'the remaining bands of the pile, 'forcesthe separated band intoengagement with a continuously rotating roller 12 and the band is feddown .a narrow slot between fixed guides 13 and 14. The sucker 8 and thewedge 10 are operated by the link work shown on Fig. 8.

A cam 61 rocks a shaft 62 through a cam roller 63. A bell crank'lever isalso fixed to the shafty62 and the short arm 63 of this lever isconnected by a link 64 to another link 65 carryingthe sucker 8.

The other end oflink 65 is pivoted to the frame at 66 and as the cam 61rotates, the sucker swings up and down about'thiscentre. The long arm-67of the bell crank lever carries the wedge 10 and roller 11 at its lowerend and consequently these parts movein time with the sucker 8. The bandthen passes over a roller 15 which is supplied with gum from a gum wheel16 rotating in a gumbath 17. A scraper 18 is fitted to the gum wheel 16in the usual manner.

The band is carried forward by the adhesion of the gum on the wheel 15through one half of a revolution, whereupon a rotating suction wheel 19-strips the band, by

means of suction, from the wheel 15 and ,the next oncoming packet.

greater than that at which the conveyor is moving and deliver the sameon to a platform 21 beneath a vertical stacker 22. The platform isreciprocated vertically by means of a lever 23 operated by a cam 24. Thesides of the vertical stacker are formed by brushes 25 and as the packetis moved vertically upwards the projecting ends ofthe band are brusheddownwards on to the ends of the packet. 'VVhen the packets reach the topof the stacker the bands arefirmly secured to thespacket and the packetsmay be removed by' hand or ,by a reciprocating plunger or the'like.

If necessary, the band may be arranged to extend below the lowermostfaceofthe packet as the same 'movedgthrough the vertical stackerandjfolders may be provided in the vertical stacker so as to fold theextensions of the band around the fourth side of the 'packet'so thattheiband completely envelops the packet or the extension may be foldedupon the underside of the packetby A suitable device for this purpose isshown in Figs. 10 and 11 which show sections of the vertical stacker 22.

Referring to Fig. 10, it will be seen ,that two spring fingers 48 aremounted at the sides of the stacker, and when the platform '21 rises upwith the packet the spring fingers are pushed outwardly, and when theplatform 21 descends, the fingers 18 snap inwardly as shown in Fig. 11and bend the remaining folds of the stamp around the bottom of thepacket.

In order to prevent wastage of bands particularly in the case of revenuestamps,

there is mounted adjacentto the gum wheel 6 contact with the gumwvheelwill be carried around by adhesion, but due to the natural resiliencyofthat band which visnot in contact with the gum on the wheel, the samewill move inia path tangential'to the gum wheel and be locateduponthechute 26 hereinbefore referred to.

7 In some cases it is desired to place the stamp on the narrow edges ofthe packet method of driving the machine.

as shown in Fig. 4 and in order to do this it is necessary to feed thepacket to the bed packets one at a time from the bottom of the magazine27 in the manner indicated in Fig; 5. The packets are then conveyed onthe rim of the wheel 28 and fall down into the guides 30 of thelabelling machine. A fabric band 31 is fitted which keeps the packetsunder proper control. A cam 32 is fixed to the casing in which thewheel. 28 is mounted and cam rollers 33 on each of the Y pawls 29 run onthis cam which is shaped to give the pawls the necessary movements forfeeding the packets and passing clear of the guides. The wheel 28 isdriven from the main drive of the machine through the conveyor spindle49 (Fig.7 and a vertical shaft 50 which has bevel gears mounted at itsends. The upper gear gears with another gear 51 mounted on a smallhorizontal shaft, and the other end of this shaft has a spur 52 mountedthereon which meshes with another spur gear 53 fixed to the spindle 54:of the wheel 28.

F ig; 7 also shows diagrammatically the A pulley 55 driven by a belt isfixed to the main shaft 36 carried in the bearings 56 and drives the Thestamp feeding mechanism is driven by the main shaft by spiral gears 58,the various units of the stamp feed beingdriven by ordinary spur gearsmounted in the casing 59. a

The tucking wheels 20 are also driven by bevel gears 60 which driveanother cross shaft carrying bevel gears (not shown) which drive otherbevelson the spindles of the wheels 20. V V

The forward conveyor shaft shown in Fig. 1 is driven by a conveyor chainitself which is in turn driven by the shaft 49 as previously described,4

It will be understood that the guides, the stacker and the stampapplying-mechanism will require adjustment from the position shown inFigs. 1 and 2 when the packets are fed edgewise.

What we claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent1s:- 7

rear conveyor shaft 49 through bevel gears.

1. In a machine for applying bands to fpacke'ts, the combination with agumming roller, of means for delivering bands to said -roller,fmeans forreceiving the gummed bands from the roller' and presenting the same to apacket,and separate means for preventing the delivery of'more than oneband at a time to said last named means.

2. In a machine for applying bands to packets, the combination with arotatable member having a surface thereof provided withadhesive, meansfor feeding bands to said member, 'means for removing bands which do notadhere to said surface, and means for presenting bands to packets. V 1

3. A device for're'moving bands from a pile which comprises a rotatablemember having a curved surface to which the lowermost band will adhere,means for feeding bands to said member, and means arranged to receiveonly the bands which do not conform to the curvature of the saidsurfaceby rea son of adhesion thereto. v

4. In apparatus of the class described, the combination with a rotatablemember having a curved surface thereof coated with adhesive, means forfeeding bands to said member, and a chute disposed tangentially of thecurved surface. of-saidmember for removing only such bands therefrom asdo not conform to the curvature of the said surface by reason ofadhesion thereto...

5. In a machine for applying bands to packets, the combination with ahopper adapted to receive packets stacked face upwardly, of a rotatablemember for withdrawing the packets, oneat a time, from said hopper andcarrying the same through substantially a quadrant of a circle where bythe packets are turned to present one the adhesive coated narrow edge ofthe packet uppermost, and

means for depositing adhesive coated bands on the uppermost edge of eachpacket.

6. In a blank' feeding device,.the combination with a suction producingdevice for deflecting a portion of the, end blank of a stack of blanksoutwardly from the remaining blanks, of conveying means, and meansmovable between said deflected blank and the stack for thrusting thesaid blank into operative engagement with said conveying means, saidmovable means comprising a wedge shaped member and a roller carried bysaid member and arranged to engage said conveying means.

7. In a blank feeding device, the combination with means for supportingthe side edges only of a stack of blanks, of means for engaging the faceof the lowermost blank of a stack of blanks to bow the central portionof the same outwardly, and

means having a portion thereofmovable between the said blank and thestack to con-' Veythe blank away from the stack, said last e4 1. er 51 2named neans comprisinga conveyor roller and ;a device consisting of areciprocable avedge shapedgmember and aroller mounted on said memberiforthrusting the blank into engagement with said conveyor roller.

8. lniapparatusof the class described, the combination vwith ;means forremoving bands,one at atime, ire-m a pile,said means including a suctiondevice ;for bowing the 19 endband and a reciprocating-member adapted tomove into the bowed portion of the end band to support the remainingbands, of ;a rotatable member having means by which the lowermost bandwill adhere to .a curved surface thereof and means arranged to receiveonly the bands Whioh'do not contact with and adhere to the said curvedsurface. I

9. A device for removing bands from a pile which comprises a movablemember having a ,curved surface -;and means by which the flower-mostband will adhere to the curved .snrfae means for ieeding bands to saidmember, and meansiarranged to -re- 3 ceive only the bands which do notcontact with and adhere to the curved surface of said member. A V

In testimQ ly whereof We hereunto afiix our signatures.

53 WALTER EVERETT MOLINS.

JOHN WALKER QH ALMERS.

